Process op extracting gasolene  prom natural gas



J. P. FOUCART. PROCESS OF EXTRACTING GASOLENE FROM NATURAL GAS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1914.

1 1 95, 1 58; Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

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PROCESS OF EXTRACTING GASOLENE FROM NATURAL GAS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH P. FoUoAR'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Extracting Gasolene from Natural Gas, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accomfpanying drawings, forming a part hereo The present invention is directed to the extraction of gasolene from natural gas from oil wells, commonly known as casinghead gas, said gas being, (as is' well known) more or less saturated with gasolene particles and heavy hydrocarbons which under prevailing practices are separated from the gas by condensation under low temperature and hi h pressure, thereby producing a high gravity gasolene. This is subsequently converted into commercial gasolene by mixing the same with the resi-' due of refineries or low gravity naphtha.

My present improvement' contemplates the extraction of commercial gasolene from the aforesaid casing-head gas under conditions of high temperature and comparatively low pressure; and by a proper control of said conditions, a gasolene of any desired gravity within certain limits may be obtained, whereby subsequent treatment by reduction or mixture with low grade gasolene or naphtha is dispensed with.

The product under my process may be .used for all industrial, domestic, and other purposes as it comes from the plant, thereby saving the expense of transportation to re ducing plantsior further treatment as is now generally the case. No special form of apparatus is required as this may be varied to suit conditions, but in order that my process may be "fully understood, I have illustrated more or less conventionally one form of apparatus for carrying out the process. The main object sought is to rovide an apparatus'in which the conditions of pressure and temperature may be under perfect control, to obtain at a single operation a product (gasolene) WhlCll will not require further or subsequent treatment.

In the drawings of the apparatus selected by way of illustration, Flgure 1 represents a p an view of such apparatus; and Fig. 2 represents an elevation, the illustrations be,

ing more or less conventional.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 15, 19116.. i Application filed May 11, 1914. Serial No. 837,819.

Inconnection with said drawings, the invention may be described as follows:

Referring to the drawings; 1, represents a boiler supplied with water through a valve-controlled pipe 2, and provided with a gas-burner 3, a dry-steam pipe 4 leading from the top of the boiler and terminating in a safety valve or blow-off 5, as well understood in the art. Leading from the pipe 4 is a 7 of w ch is within easy reach of the operator, said pipe discharging steam into a heating or vaporizing tank 8 through the top thereof. The boiler 1 is of suflicient capacity to generate the desired quantity of steam at pressures ranging from sixty to one hundred pounds per square inch.

C, represents a suitable pump or compressor to the cylinder of which the natural gas is conveyed through a pipe 9 from the source of supply (not shown), the gas being pumped into the tank 8 through the bottom pipe 10. The top of the tank 8 is tapped by a series of pipes or branches 11, preferably terminating in the tank in flaring mouths or hoods 12, the cluster of pipes discharging into a single'conducting or outlet pipe 13 likewise provided with a controlling valve, the. stem 14 of which is within easy reach of the operator. The pipe 13 discharges into a double circulating and cooling coil 15, traversing a tank D through which-constantly circulates cold water, ad mitted into the tank through a bottom pipe 16 and escaping through the discharge or 'overflow pipe 17 at the top. The coils 15 discharge into a single valve-controlled pipe 18, the mixture of water and gasolene in turn discharging from said 'pipe' into a settlin tank E provided with a bottom fitting 19 rom which lead the bottom valve-con-' trolled water-discharge branch 20, and the side gasolene-discharge branch 21, the

is represented byW and the gasolene by G,

The top of the tank is tapped by a tube or pipe 22 which discharges the lean gas through a pressure regulator or other form of resistance or pop valve V into a drum or expansion chamber 23, whence it escapes through a valve-controlled pipe 24 to any suitable source of consumption, or into the atmosphere. In the present case a branch 25 leading from a T, 26, at the discharge end of the pipe 24, conducts a portion of the gas to the burner 3, a second branch 27 conducting the gas to the explosion chamber of the engine portion of the compressor, or pump C. Preferably, the vaporizing tank is provided with a pressure gage m.

The operation may be described as follows: Steam is admitted to the vaporizing tank 8 until the latter is filled to the point of registering twenty pounds pressure to the square inch, this pressure corresponding to a temperature of approximately 230 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam is maintained in said tank by keeping up a constant flow past the valve controlled by the stem 7. When the pressure of twenty pounds has been reached, the pump or compressor C is started and gas is pumped into the tank 8 at a pressure suflicient to overcome the pressure of steam within the tank, the gas entering the tank say at a pressure of thirty or more pounds to the square inch. The gas does not mix with the steam but the particles or globules of gasolene and heavy hydrocarbons projected into the steam under the increased pressure or head referred to, become heated and vaporized by the steam, after which the said vapors and steam flow conjointly from the tank 8 through the clusters of pipes 11, 11, and pipe 13, into and through the coil 15, where both the vapors of the hydrocarbons and the steam are condensed, the combined liquids being discharged into the settling tank E where they arrange themselves according totheir gravity, the water settling to the bottom and the gasolene floating on top. By now opening the valves of the respective branches 20, 21, the water may be first drawn off, and then the gasolene, the latter being conducted to any suitable can or receptacle ready for shipment, or it may be drawn off into a storage tank for future use. It will be seen from the foregoing that the body of steam in the tank or container 8 is penetrated more or less by the gas driven into the tank under a superior pressure, the differential in pressure between the steam and gas depending of course on the initial pressure (and hence temperature) of the steam charged into the vaporizing tank. While it is true that the gas coming in from the bottom into the tank 8 drives the steam before it, there will always be more or less diffusion and penetration of the gas and liquid hydrocarbons suspended therein,

throughout the steam, but in no sense will there be a chemical combination. The components of the gas which are not already in a state of vapor will be vaporized, and subsequently condensed with the steam in the condensing coil 15 (or equivalent condenser), whence they are subsequently conjointly discharged into the settling tank E. The lean gas accumulating in the top of the tank E, that is to say, the gas which has been stripped of all condensable components, is then allowed to escape or is utilized as here indicated, or for any industrial or commercial purpose.

I do not of course, desire to restrict myself to the precisepressure and temperature of the steam maintained in the tank 8, nor to the differential between the steam pressure and the pressure at which the gas is pumped or projected into said tank, the object sought being to vaporize all condensable components of the gas by means of the steam, and subsequently condense the two and draw off the liquids respectively condensed therefrom. As fast as the steam is allowed to escape from the tank 8 (with the vapors of the vaporized hydro-carbons) fresh steam is injected from the pipe 11 at the desired pressure and in suflicient volume to serve its purpose of vaporizing the hydrocarbons accompanying fresh charges of gas pumped into the tank.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In the extraction of gasolene from natural gas, the process of subjecting a charge of said gas to direct contact with steam, whereby the components thereof not in a vapor state are vaporized, cooling the combined vapors of gas and steam to the point of condensation, and separating the liquids thus condensed.

2. In the extraction of gasolene from natural gas, the process of subjecting a charge of said gas to direct contact with steam under pressure, whereby the components of the gas not in a vapor state .are vaporized, effecting a condensation of the vapors and steam by cooling, conducting the liquids to a suitable settling tank, and removing the respective liquids from said tank.

3. In the extraction of gasolene from natural gas, the process of maintaining a body of steam in a suitable receptacle under pressure, discharging the gas into said steam I under a pressure diiferential sufficient to cause the gas to penetrate the body of steam, thereby vaporizing the liquid components of the gas, conducting the mixture of vapor and steam to a suitable condenser, conducting the condensed liquids to a suitable settling tank, then separately drawing off the liquids from said tank.

4. In the extraction of gasolene from 130 opposite end thereof, introducing fresh charges of steam and gas into the container during the abstraction of the vapors and steam from the container, leading the vapors and steam to a suitable condenser, conducting the condensed vapors and steam to a suitable tank, wherein the liquids become 15 separated, and finally, drawing off the separated liquids and removing the lean gas .from above the gasolene floating on the water in the tank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH P. FOUCART.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM SENDELBACH, Bnssrn M, HALFHILL. 

